Bringing Her Home
by exsquared
Summary: What happened when the SGC finally heard that the Prometheus was on its way home in Grace?
1. Chapter 1

Bringing Her Home

by exsquared

_AN - I submitted the first chapter of this a while ago, the first story of any kind that I've ever written, and honestly, it was all I intended to write. But some of you were kind enough to suggest that it could be the start of a longer tale, so thank you for prodding me to "find" the rest of the story. As a disclaimer, I admit to having absolutely no medical expertise other than watching ER forever, so excuse any factual errors in the use of medical terminology_.

Chapter One

General Hammond gets the news

General Hammond looked up from a stack of paperwork as Sgt. Harriman appeared in his doorway. The sergeant looked relieved and happy, as he announced, "Sir, NASA's deep space tracking network just picked up a transmission from Prometheus. They're on their way home, sir."

The general stood up, breaking into a wide grin and replied "That's wonderful news! Did they give any indication of when they'd be here and what caused the delay?"

Walter responded, "No sir, it was a brief message, but apparently Colonel Ronson wants to speak with you as soon as possible. I can arrange to patch it through to you here if you want, sir."

"Do it right away, son, and notify Colonel O'Neill, Dr. Jackson and Teal'c with the news."

"I believe that they're off base at the moment, but I'll contact them."

A few minutes later, the general was on the speaker phone with Colonel Ronson.

"It's really good to hear from you Bill! Run into some trouble?"

"If you can call a ship-eating gas cloud, an attack by an alien ship, and then abduction by those same aliens trouble, yeah, I guess we had our share."

"Sounds like it will be an interesting report. Is everyone all right? "

"Almost everyone, and that's the main reason I wanted to talk to you now, instead of waiting until we get home. Our medical personnel would like to consult with your doctor about a seriously injured crew member. As you know, we have a small medical staff, and no M.D. on board, so they'd like some guidance on the best way to treat this patient."

"I'll get Dr. Fraiser here right away."

Hammond had Walter page Dr. Fraiser, then listened as the colonel filled him in on the details of the last few days: the slight detour with the intent to study a gas cloud, the consequent attack by an alien space ship, and finally the decision to abandon ship.

All crew members had apparently been beamed onto the alien ship then kept captive for some time. The aliens appeared unhappy with the circumstances, and seemed to think that the humans were somehow responsible for their ship's inability to leave the cloud. As time went by, the aliens became more and more agitated. They were on the verge of punishing their human captives when suddenly, the aggressive behavior halted, and the humans were all beamed back onto the Prometheus.

As the colonel reached this point in his account, Janet Fraiser entered the general's office. She gave the general a questioning look, and he said, "Dr. Fraiser, the medics aboard the Prometheus have an injured crewman and need a consult. Colonel Ronson, I'll turn it over to Dr. Fraiser now, and when she's done with the medics, you can finish your report."

"Yes sir, she'll be talking with Lieutenant Pickens, our senior medic."

Dr. Fraiser asked the lieutenant, "What's the nature of the problem?"

"Well ma'am, the patient suffered a severe concussion, and while we've done x-rays and seen no evidence of a skull fracture, we're concerned about possible injuries to the brain. We don't have the machinery on board to do any more sophisticated testing. From what the colonel says, it will take a few more days to fly home, so we're wondering if we should set down on the closest planet with a stargate and gate home. That would be the quickest way, but I'm worried that gate travel could make things worse. Any thoughts?"

Dr. Fraiser replied, "When did the injury occur? I assume you followed the usual procedures for this type of head injury, keeping the patient under close observation, checking responses, etc.?"

There was a long hesitation on the line, and then Pickens answered, "The injury occurred roughly 5 days ago, but the patient was alone on the ship at the time, so there was no treatment. She did treat a minor cut on her forehead, but she was alone for 4 days, and we weren't able to treat her until we got back to the ship."

Dr. Fraiser looked puzzled, and Hammond briefly explained the situation. He then asked the lieutenant, "I thought the whole crew was beamed to the alien ship?"

Colonel Ronson cut in. "We didn't realize that anyone was left on the Prometheus until we got back and found her on the bridge. Apparently she was hurt during the attack and was unconscious when we all went to the escape pods. By the time she came to, we were all gone."

Dr. Fraiser, looking concerned, said, "That's not good. Have you been able to find out the kind of symptoms she had during the time you were gone, and can you give me her current condition?"

The lieutenant responded, "That's one of the reasons that I wanted your advice. She has a bad headache, obviously, but she's also not very responsive. From what we can gather, she was having both visual and auditory hallucinations while she was alone. She also said she passed out several times."

Dr. Fraiser told him, "You're right to be concerned. If the concussion is as bad as it sounds, and she had no treatment for that long, I'd like to examine her as soon as possible, but you're also correct, gate travel might not be a good idea either."

She thought for a moment, and then asked, "Are you close to a planet with a secure stargate?"

Ronson replied, "Yes, we can be at P3X-121 within a couple of hours. Do you think that gate travel will be safe?"

Janet answered, "I'm not sure, but with the general's permission, I'd like to take a medical team to P3X-121 with a portable CAT scanner. I'll be able to assess her condition better once I can see her myself and check out her scans. If it seems safe, we'll gate her home. Otherwise I can fly home on the Prometheus with her."

Hammond responded to her request immediately "Sounds like a good plan doctor. But Colonel, are you still in any danger from the alien ship? That planet is out of your way, and I'm sure you and your crew will want to get home as soon as possible; especially after all you've been through. It's not really in the best interest of the ship and crew to put down on a planet, making you more vulnerable to attack, just to help this one crew member, is it?"

Ronson chuckled. "General, to answer your first question, the alien ship is no longer a problem. And to answer your second question, I think every crew member on board would volunteer to do anything possible to help the major. After all, if it weren't for her, we'd all still be stuck in that alien ship, if not dead."

Janet and the general looked at each other in confusion. The general asked Ronson, "What do you mean?"

Ronson explained. "When we were beamed back to the Prometheus, Major Carter was there on the bridge. Somehow she not only found a way to get our both our ship and the alien ship out of the cloud, but also convinced the aliens to let us go and leave us alone. All of that while suffering from major concussion. I can't wait to hear how she managed all that, once she's lucid enough to explain it."

Janet and the general both looked surprised at this latest revelation.

Janet asked, "You mean Sam is the one who's hurt?" while the general queried," Major Carter managed to convince the aliens to leave?"

Ronson answered in a tone bordering on awe. "Yes sir. I guess I always knew how intelligent the major is, but I never suspected how tough she is. I'd be honored to serve with her anytime. If she ever decides to leave SG-1, general, I would love to have her back on Prometheus."

General Hammond, signaling Dr. Fraiser to leave and prepare for her mission, told Ronson, "I'll be sure to let the major know you said that as soon as she's better. In the meantime, we'll have a team on P3X-121 in less than two hours. We'll find a suitable landing site as close as possible to the gate and you can contact them when you're in range of the planet. I'll see you in a week or so, and I look forward to hearing the rest of the details then. Have a safe journey home."

As he hung up the phone, Jack, Daniel and Teal'c appeared in his door, looking anxious. Jack said, "So the Prometheus is on its way back? Everything ok?" Daniel cut to the chase, asking "Is Sam all right?" Hammond gave them a short explanation, then pointed to the door, telling them to suit up to accompany Dr. Fraiser on the mission to P3X-121. "I'm sure that Dr. Fraiser won't mind having a back-up team, just in case. And if she decides to ride home with Major Carter on the Prometheus, you have permission to go along for the ride as well. Just try not to get in the crew's way, and stay out of Colonel Ronson's hair."

After they left, the general was finally able to take a moment to absorb and reflect on the information he'd just received. Caught up in Ronson's account of the activities on Prometheus, and then in working out the plan to bring Major Carter home, Hammond hadn't been able to take the time to contemplate the events. His relief that Prometheus was fine and on its way home was somewhat tempered with concern over Major Carter's condition, but he knew that she couldn't have better care than Dr. Fraiser would provide. And with her team close by to provide strength and comfort, he felt sure that she would recover quickly. Besides, he mused, if the woman could mange to save the Prometheus and persuade a ship full of hostile aliens to stand down, a little thing like a head injury didn't stand a chance.

He reluctantly pushed aside his meandering thoughts, looked back at his crowded desk, and switched on the intercom.

"Sergeant, do you have those requisitions I need to approve?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Janet's preparations at the SGC

As Janet walked away from the general's office, she began to mentally list everything she'd need to bring with on the mission.

"We'll need the standard off-world emergency gear. I'm so glad we set up the protocols for that years ago, so that we have several of the kits packed and ready to go at all times. We just never know when a team will get into trouble, and a medical team will have to gate out. I know we've saved more than one life over the years because we were able to leave within minutes. It helps that this time, since I know the exact nature of the problem, I can narrow down the actual items to take. Still, it won't hurt to take the entire kit; there could be other injuries among the crew that they didn't mention. We'll take the portable CAT scanner, and the specialized stretcher that we'll use if we want to bring her through the gate. I wonder how far from the gate the Prometheus will have to land? I better check with the general before we leave and find out how far we'll have to haul the equipment. Actually, come to think of it, if it's not too far, we wouldn't have to bring anything other than the CAT scanner. If I decide that we shouldn't risk gate travel, we won't need the stretcher, just whatever I'll need to treat her during the trip home on the Prometheus. That means I'll have to bring enough meds to cope with whatever I may find. And since it's Sam, that means I better check her records to make sure I adjust according to her altered chemistry..."

At that thought, she stopped. "Oh God, it's Sam." Up until then, she hadn't allowed herself the indulgence of worrying about her friend. She recognized that her mental rambling was an avoidance mechanism, a way to keep her personal concerns at bay. By concentrating on her professional responsibilities, she could maintain her detachment and refrain from thinking of how badly injured Sam might be.

Janet had been extremely relieved to hear that the Prometheus was safe. The last few days had been stressful for the entire SGC. They lived with risk all the time, saw their friends and comrades injured and die, but somehow, not knowing the fate of a team or crew was worse. The thought of a ship or a team just disappearing, never to be heard from again, was a haunting fear. This was an environment where individuals risked their lives daily, but with the bone-deep understanding that no matter what, they wouldn't be left behind. Not knowing if the Prometheus was intact or not, or if its crew was alive and in need of rescue had created a sense of tension which permeated the entire base. Closure might seem to be a psychiatric buzzword or a cliché, but for this group of people, it was a necessity.

The fact that this time Sam was one of the missing individuals only increased the general despair. She was a valued member of so many of the disparate groups making up the SGC. As a brilliant scientist and as an air force major, she had a boot in both military and science camps. She was the unofficial head of the scientists on the base, since they not only respected her work in her field, but could count on her to act as a go-between with the military minds when they clashed. Similarly, the vast majority of the military personnel on the base respected her abilities as an officer, knew she had proven herself in combat time and time again, and appreciated all the work she had done as a scientist to make their lives easier. As the resident gate expert, she'd become friends with all the gate personnel, helping run diagnostics, tweaking the dialing program to make it more efficient, coming to their aid whenever a glitch occurred.

And then of course, there was SG-1. Saying that the team was close was an understatement of massive proportions. Most SG teams didn't stay together for as long as this one had, for a variety of reasons. There were the unfortunate deaths, forced retirements due to injury, reassignments to less hazardous duty, and realignment of teams because of personality conflicts. SG-1 had stayed intact for seven years now, six, if you didn't count the year that Daniel was "wherever." Their bond was incredibly tight, and when one of them was missing or injured, the others were relentless in the quest to aid their teammate.

The last time Janet could remember things being this gloomy in the SGC had been when Colonel O'Neill had gone missing with Maybourne during his attempted escape to paradise. At the time, she had commiserated with Sam about their failure to find the colonel. Sam had talked with Janet about her confrontation with Dr. Lee, explaining that she knew it was fueled by frustration with her inability to find the colonel, but that she was also angry that the man just didn't seem to understand the concept of leaving no one behind. Sam also confessed to Janet the emotional scene with Teal'c in the women's locker room. To Janet, it was confirmation of just how much SG-1 cared for and supported each other. Janet knew how much Sam kept her emotions in check. As a woman in the military, it was a necessity. Janet felt the same pressure, but as a doctor, not in a command track, didn't have to deal with the problem as much as Sam did. It was a no-win situation for women in the military. Show emotion and be accused of being ruled by hormones, or show no emotion and be accused of being an unfeeling witch. That Sam felt comfortable enough with Teal'c to show her emotions spoke volumes about the strength of their friendship. Their mutual concern for the colonel had only served to solidify that connection.

Now, when Sam was missing, the colonel's feelings must have been much the same, but being the man he was, he had no outlet. The man's reaction to his inability to keep one of his team safe was painful to watch. She knew that SG-1 had visited countless planets in proximity to the scheduled flight path of the Prometheus, with no success. Daniel, ever the optimist, wanted to keep gating to more planets, convinced that they would find the ship if they just kept trying. But Janet had sensed that the colonel was preparing himself for the worst. He was closing down emotionally, even more than usual, and she knew that was his way of dealing with painful situations. Teal'c was harder to read, however over the years she had discovered that the man had strong emotions, but had trained himself to keep them under control. His loyalty and affection for his teammates was undeniable, as evidenced by his support of Sam when the colonel was missing. His distress when one of them was missing or injured was obvious to someone who knew him as well as Janet did now. A furrowed brow on Teal'c meant major emotional turmoil, and his brow seemed to have developed a permanent crease in the last week.

As for herself, Sam had become one of her best friends, and certainly her closest confidante. It was an incredible relief to be able to talk with someone about the highly unusual life that they both led. First as women in a very masculine environment and second in a dangerous line of work. The top secret nature of their work meant that Janet couldn't indulge in idle chit chat with the book club about what she did at work that day, and Sam couldn't explain to the neighbor lady why she had those hideous bruises all the time. The two of them often joked that the nosy woman in Sam's neighborhood probably would have reported Sam as being an abuse victim if she ever had any boyfriends around. The topic of boyfriends and the inherent problems that their respective jobs created in that department was a common topic between them. The last week or so had been rough on Janet, as she worried whether she'd ever have one of those conversations again. If Sam's head injury was really serious…

"No, I'm not going to start thinking that way. I've got a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it, so I need to focus. Ok, where was I? I need to check Sam's records to find the proper dosages. Come to think of it, her records are probably still on my desk. Damn it, the woman is still recovering from trying to go one-on-one with a super soldier, and now she's hurt again. I sure hope she didn't re-injure that shoulder. Lieutenant Pickens didn't mention it, so probably not, but I'll double check when we get there."

"I need to check with the general to see how far from the Stargate the Prometheus will land. I need to decide how many of my personnel to take along, and find out how many airmen the general will send with us besides SG-1. I know he wouldn't be able to stop them from coming along, and knowing the general, he won't even try."

"So, if Sam is well enough to gate home, we'll need the stretcher, and we'll be back within a few hours if all goes well. If not, I'll need to bring enough personal provisions so that I can stay on the Prometheus for a few days. Good thing I keep some extras here for when I need to stay with a patient. That's another thing I need to do, make the usual arrangements for Cassie to stay with a friend if I end up staying on the Prometheus. Cassie, oh my god! I need to tell Cassie that we heard from Prometheus."

Janet had been forced to tell Cassie that Sam was missing when Sam hadn't shown up for one of their standing appointments, a girl's night out. Cassie was accustomed to Sam cancelling when 'something came up', her code for having to go off-planet, but this time, Sam hadn't called personally, which was unusual. When a couple of days went by with no word from Sam, Cassie confronted Janet.

"Something's wrong, isn't it? You've been anxious for days, and trying not to show it. What's wrong with Sam?"

Janet thought to herself, "She's getting way too observant. This is one of those times that I wish she could act more like a normal teenager and just be completely absorbed in herself."

Out loud, she said, "I'm sorry, I know that I should have said something sooner, but I kept hoping that she'd get back. She's on the Prometheus and it's overdue in reporting in. It may be nothing, but we are getting concerned."

Cassie was surprisingly calm, accepting the fact that Sam was MIA without any of the melodrama which she sometimes exhibited. "Mom, she'll be back. Chances are, it's just a mechanical problem, and you know that Sam is the absolute best person to figure out how to fix it and bring them home."

Janet hugged her for that, even though she was well aware that Cassie was at a stage in her life when hugging her mom wasn't one of her favorite activities. This time though, Cassie reciprocated, understanding that Janet needed the comfort of physical contact.

Just as she reached this point in her recollection of the scene with her daughter, Janet reached the infirmary. She quickly briefed her staff about the upcoming mission. As they scrambled to assemble the necessary equipment and prepare for a trip off-world, Janet moved into her office to place a quick call to Cassie.

"Cassie? Hi hon. How was school?"

"Listen, I might have to be gone for a few days, so we need to find a place for you to stay just in case. You think it will be ok with Karen's mom if you spend a few nights again? If not, we'll talk to Mrs. Roberts next door. I'll call them now and call you back once I know, but I wanted to let you know first."

"No, it's not certain, and I won't know until I've checked on the patient."

"Yes, it is Sam, and I won't know if she's ok until I see her and run some tests. I'll have General Hammond let you know as soon as we find out anything. In the meantime, try not to worry too much."

"Ok, I'll try to take my own advice, and thank you for being so understanding. When did you get so mature? I'll talk to you soon. Love you."

As she hung up, she was more determined than ever to bring Sam home safely. Her daughter needed Sam almost as much as Janet did, and Janet didn't intend to deny her this particular need.

She made the necessary calls to make sure that Cassie wouldn't be alone for the next few days if necessary, then began getting her own off-world gear ready. As soon as her staff reported in, she'd talk to the general to find out the rest of the details about the planet they were gating to. For now, she immersed herself in tasks which would help keep her mind from useless worrying about Sam. After all, the sooner she finished preparations, the sooner she could determine Sam's condition and take care of her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

SG-1's preparations at the SGC

Jack, Daniel and Teal'c left the general's office, and then stopped in the corridor outside to discuss their plans for the mission ahead. The days of frustration at their failure to find any sign of the Prometheus had finally come to an end, and they were anxious to be on their way. But they realized that some advance planning was necessary in order to make sure that Sam's return would be as smooth as possible.

Jack spoke first. "So, P3X-121, we've been there, haven't we? About 2 years ago? That was the planet with two moons, and the region around the gate was split into 3 distinct types. As we exited the gate, there was deep forest straight ahead, really rocky terrain to the right and some swamp land to the left and behind the gate. Does that sound right?"

Teal'c replied, "You are correct, O'Neill."

Daniel was somewhat bemused by Jack's perfect recall of the planet in question. Gone was his usual stumbling over the planet's designator, his normal description of a planet as "the one with all the trees," and any of the other ways he used to try to maintain the façade that he wasn't all that bright. Daniel knew that Jack had a brilliant mind, but chose not to show it most of the time. Jack firmly believed in letting others underestimate him. It was a sound military strategy, but Jack tended to use it almost all the time. Playing dumb was an amazingly effective way of getting out of many awkward situations, both social and work related. Unfortunately for Daniel, it was also a wonderful means of teasing anyone who could be sucked in when Jack was bored and wanted to kill some time. Daniel recalled a conversation from a recent mission.

Jack asked, "So Daniel, what did you say the name of this god is? Purple Rain?"

Daniel sighed. He could see Sam swallowing a grin. "It's Puraphane, Jack. The locals believe he blesses their crops and brings good fortune to those who honor him. So they bring offerings to the temple which we're about to explore. As Sam and I told you at the briefing, they seem to have had extremely good weather for their harvests which makes Sam think there might be some kind of climate control device there."

Jack considered this for a moment. "Offerings, you say. What kind of offerings? Fruit baskets? Baked goods? Perhaps a house plant?"

Daniel knew enough to give up at that point. In the past, he would probably have launched into a defense of the local customs and religious views. Now, after this many years with Jack, he knew that the man was trying to bait Daniel into going into lecture mode, just so that he could to cut him off mid-sentence; or to provoke an argument about something – anything - just to pass the time. Instead, this time, Daniel decided to reply in kind.

In his most pedantic tone he said, "Actually, Jack, according to one of the villagers, they've had the most success with putting out a plate of sweet breads and goat's milk on the eve of their most sacred holiday. Then, during the night, the offerings disappear, and in their place, the most wonderful gifts appear. A few of the villagers have reported seeing the god, dressed in scarlet, and flying away. It was probably just a Goa'uld in a tel'tak, but you never know, do you?"

The look on Jack's face was priceless; Sam was laughing out loud; and even Teal'c knew enough about earth customs to crack a smile.

At the thought of Sam's laughter, Daniel came back to reality with a thud. Sam.

Thank God, the Prometheus had finally reported in, but the report of Sam's injury was frightening. The last few days had been hell, as they searched every planet remotely close to the Prometheus flight path. Their failure to gain any information about the ship had forced them to accept the idea that it might truly be gone forever. He had refused to believe it, goading Jack to try more planets, racking his brain for any idea that might help them determine what had happened. But he could see that Jack was losing hope.

Anyone with Jack's background knew all too well that sometimes you just never discovered what happened when someone went missing. Daniel and Jack had discussed the topic at length after Jack returned from Edora. Jack told him that he knew it had been easier for him on Edora, than for the rest of the SGC, because he knew he was alive and well, even if he was sure he'd never get back to earth. But Jack understood the anguish that the rest of his team must be suffering, because years before, he had been in the same position. A fellow soldier was pronounced MIA after a mission, and Jack never found out for sure if the man were dead or alive.

The unwritten but inviolable rule was: we don't leave anyone behind. Unfortunately, sometimes, especially in space, there was no choice. Still, even evidence of ship debris would be better than this limbo of uncertainty.

Daniel heard Jack declaring: "We need topographical maps of the land around the gate if any are available. Our first priority has to be finding a landing area for the Prometheus as close to the gate as possible. Daniel, can you find out if there's been a UAV sent up or if any other teams have done a survey? You should be able to do that using the base computers, right? I know that's usually Carter's responsibility, but …" He broke off, his face tightening.

Daniel replied quickly. "I think I can manage to find that out. Teal'c, you and Sam hiked across that rocky terrain, while Jack and I were checking out the forest. Do you remember anything suitable?"

Teal'c answered. "We did indeed explore the land for several kilometers. The ground in the immediate vicinity of the Stargate was filled with very large rocks, and would not be capable of serving as a landing surface for the Prometheus. However, if I recall correctly, within approximately one kilometer, we were clear of all such obstacles and the land was almost desert-like. Major Carter even remarked on the abrupt change in the ecology and the smoothness of the terrain. It should be a suitable location. If maps exist, they should be used to verify this."

Teal'c thought back to that day on P3X-121. Up to that time he and Major Carter had rarely spent any time paired together on missions. The four team members almost always stayed in fairly close contact while off planet, for safety's sake. On this occasion, the planet appeared to be very secure, with little chance of Goa'uld or any other interference. As Major Carter had said when examining the DHD when they arrived, it had the equivalent of cobwebs on the surface. O'Neill's response under his breath had been, "Kinda like the television in Daniel's apartment."

Daniel retorted, "I heard that! I use it all the time to watch documentaries. Just because I don't watch The Simpsons or hockey all the time…"

The two continued their mock argument as Teal'c stood watch over the major while she continued her usual check of the DHD to make sure it was functional. He hadn't understood the cobweb remark, but the major later explained that it meant that the equipment hadn't been used in a long time. Since this meant they could be relatively sure that no one would be coming through the Stargate with malicious intentions, Colonel O'Neill decided it was safe to split the team up. He and Daniel would enter the forested area straight ahead, while Teal'c and Carter would explore the rocky terrain to the right. They decided that the swampy regions to the left and behind the gate could be left unexplored at this point, especially since the swamp seemed to extend for some distance. As O'Neill put it "We can't hog all the fun. If Hammond thinks that the planet deserves further exploration, we'll let some other team have the joy of slogging through the muck."

Teal'c and the major started out, with a reminder from the colonel to maintain regular radio contact. The extremely large rocks, very densely packed in places, made the trip difficult at first. Several times the two had to remove their packs and vests in order to squeeze between two rocks. After going through one especially tight space, she told Teal'c "Now you know what a mammogram feels like." As he looked puzzled, she laughed and said, "Never mind, it's just a woman thing."

When they came out from one such maneuver, they suddenly found themselves on a large flat surface which appeared to be covered with hard sand. The sudden change prompted an exclamation from the major. "Wow! I can't believe all the different terrains we've encountered within a relatively short distance of each other. Forest, swamp, rocky, now near-desert. I wonder what else is near by. I wish that we could send a UAV back here on a fly-over to record the terrain. Maybe Daniel and the colonel will find something good enough to convince the general that this planet deserves revisiting."

Teal'c listened patiently to the major's observations. He didn't think a response was necessary, understanding that the major, much like Daniel Jackson, often speculated out loud. O'Neill had once tried to explain it to him, saying, "Scientists like to talk about stuff, while people like us want to actually do stuff." Teal'c wasn't sure if he agreed with that assessment. He had observed both Daniel Jackson and Major Carter in action over the years, and felt that they were both not only capable of engaging in combat or any other activities they were called on to do, but were not hesitant to do so. He had come to admire them as colleagues while on duty, and considered them as friends when off duty. He didn't mind when either of them would begin expounding at length on some topic which he might not understand at first, knowing that it was often a way for them to refine their thoughts. He had discovered that if it were a topic which might be important for the team to understand, they were very good at explaining it to them, breaking it down into non-scientific terms as much as possible. Even though O'Neill might complain about their unnecessarily long explanations, Teal'c knew that the man appreciated the expertise that the two scientists brought to the group. And the colonel trusted their combat skills as well, especially those of Major Carter. That was probably the highest compliment that the life-long soldier could pay her.

Major Carter then observed, "You know what this really reminds me of? The Bonneville Salt Flats. Man, I wish I could bring my cycle here and really cut loose."

She stopped, looking a little sheepish. "Sorry Teal'c. I just got caught up in how perfect this surface is for racing. I know that's not going to happen, but a girl can dream, can't she?"

Teal'c, aware that the major enjoyed riding her two-wheeled vehicle as much as she enjoyed repairing it, just cocked an eyebrow and said, "Perhaps you can persuade General Hammond to include a motorcycle in a second visit to this planet if he agrees to send a UAV. For exploration purposes, of course."

The major snorted. "Teal'c sometimes I think you've been hanging around with us too long. Your sense of humor is definitely improving, or maybe it's just getting more warped like ours."

With that, the two began a trek across the flat lands, finding nothing of interest. Radio contact with Colonel O'Neill indicated that he and Dr. Jackson had similar luck, so they all returned to the gate, and wrote it off as just another uninhabited planet, with no discernible reason for further exploration.

Teal'c's thoughts returned to the present as O'Neill sent he and Daniel Jackson to confirm their memories of the planet and determine if any other teams had made a follow up visit. In the meantime, the colonel would make arrangements for the equipment and manpower which would be required for this special rescue mission.

Jack went back to the general's office. The door was open and Walter was taking some paperwork from the general as Jack knocked on the door.

"Come on in, Jack. Are you ready to go?"

"Almost sir. I think we've found a spot for Prometheus to land within a click of the gate, but we there are some pretty big boulders between it and the gate. Permission to take some C-4 to blast them and create a path?"

"Granted. Just be careful that you don't bring them down on you. We don't need any more injuries."

"One other thing sir. All of SG-1 will be accompanying Dr. Fraiser to the Prometheus and it might be safer to have some backup just in case. I know it's a secure planet, but we may need to have some help carrying equipment to the ship. And if Fraiser decides to stay on Prometheus, someone will have to haul things back. Is there another team available to help out?"

The general looked sympathetic, but troubled. "I really wish there were, Jack. Literally every team is either off planet or on stand-down right now. This almost never happens, but it's been a strange couple of weeks. If you can find anyone on stand-down who happens to be on base and is willing to go, let me know, and I'll approve it. I'm afraid that's the best that I can do."

Jack was disheartened, but said, "I understand. I'll see if I can round anyone up. Thank you, sir."

Hammond turned to Harriman and said, "Go ahead and file those, and we'll do the next batch tomorrow. Dismissed."

Jack headed towards the commissary, figuring he might be able to find some volunteers there. He was intercepted by Dr. Fraiser.

"Colonel O'Neill. The general tells me you're in charge of the mission? I've got a couple of questions."

"Go ahead, but we need to get going soon."

"These won't take long. I need to know how far the Prometheus will land from the gate. If it's fairly close, I'll take just the diagnostic equipment along and leave the stretcher and some of the other equipment behind. Then if we need to carry Sam back to the gate we can send for and get it quickly. If we're going to stay with Prometheus, we won't need it at all. But if we're going to have a long trek to the ship, we should bring the extras with us, to save time in case we need to use them."

Jack replied "It's only a kilometer or so, but the terrain close to the gate is pretty rugged, so we're going through first and blow up some of the larger rocks. We want to make your travel as smooth as possible."

Janet grimaced. "I appreciate that, I really do. That should be close enough to leave the extra equipment behind, then. Now, how many personnel are coming along to help? I know you and Daniel and Teal'c will be there, and I can bring one of my staff. But if we're going to carry equipment and if we have to carry Sam back, it would be nice to have some more help. I'm assuming that the MALPS would be too slow to help haul our gear?"

"Yeah, the MALPS would be way too slow, especially in those rocks. We'll blast the worst of them, but it's still going to be rough going. In terms of more help, unfortunately, there are no other teams available right now. Hammond told me I could ask for volunteers from anyone who's on stand-down and is on base now. I'm headed to the commissary right now looking for warm bodies. Care to come along? Maybe they'll respond better to you than me. I've been a little cranky lately, and they may not want to put up with me."

"Of course, if you think it will help. But you know, Colonel, you've had every right to be an SOB, and I'm sure that everyone understands that."

"Geez, doc, I said was cranky, not an SOB, and you could have at least pretended that it wasn't true."

The two officers turned the corner into a corridor filled with airmen, marines, scientists, and technicians. Jack even thought he saw one of the commissary staff standing near the wall. They all turned toward O'Neill and Fraiser, and Lt. Colonel Harper, head of SG-5, and the senior officer of those present, told Jack, "We're ready to leave whenever you are." Jack and Janet looked at each other and Jack asked, "How did you know…?"

"The grapevine cough Walter cough is pretty fast around here. Major Carter means a lot to this place and to us, and we all want to help bring her home. We know that we can't all go, but we do want to let you know that you've got whatever help you need. Just tell me how many people you need and what kind of specialties, and I'll take care of it for you. "

Jack found that he had to clear his throat before responding. "I can only say thanks to all of you on behalf of Major Carter and the rest of SG-1. I'll be sure to let her know that you were all here when we get her back. You'll be able to visit her yourselves pretty soon. Well - as soon as the doc says she can have visitors, that is."

Jack and Janet stayed for a few minutes, giving Colonel Harper the information necessary to assemble the remainder of the team. They went to finish up their respective preparations as Harper began calling out names. The mission was almost ready to embark.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

On the planet

Jack, Daniel and Teal'c exited the wormhole onto the surface of P3X-121 and moved to the MALP which had preceded them.

Jack snapped out orders. "Teal'c, secure the area. Daniel, set up the radio and see if Prometheus is in contact range. I'll get started on the boulders."

Teal'c surveyed the surrounding area, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. He walked the immediate perimeter, making sure the area around the gate was safe.

Reporting to Jack, he stated, "I see no evidence that anyone has been in the vicinity since we were last here."

Daniel turned on the long range transmitter which they'd brought along in order to contact Prometheus as soon as possible. He started broadcasting a recorded message which alerted the ship to their presence on the planet and requested contact when in range. There was no response yet, but he hadn't really expected one yet. Once they'd heard the ship was on its way, the team had made remarkably good time getting everything planned and getting here.

Jack removed the C-4 which he'd use to break up the boulders to their right. Teal'c had been right in his recollection of how large and close together these things were. But it shouldn't take too much work to create a path big enough to walk through, even if they had to carry a stretcher back. From what Teal'c said, there were only a few places where the rocks were so close together that it was difficult to squeeze through. So, just a few well-placed packets to create bigger holes, and they should be ready to call Fraiser to join them.

Jack stood back after placing the first of the charges, shouted, "Fire in the hole!" and flicked the switch. The resulting explosion produced a satisfying crevice between two of the rocks, allowing him to see the terrain beyond. He walked through and on the other side saw a field of similar huge stones. Teal'c came up behind him and pointed out the trail which he and Carter had taken. It weaved in and out among the rocks, choosing the path of least resistance. Jack could see the rationale for the chosen path, but wondered if a more direct route would be preferable now.

"Teal'c, what do you think? Should we just blast a path straight through, or go the way you two did before? I know we'll have to do less blasting if we go the round-about way, but how much time do you think we'll we save if we can go straight?"

Teal'c considered the question before answering. "I do not believe a great deal of time will be saved by creating a straighter path. The most time-consuming part of our earlier trip was in maneuvering between the densely packed large rocks. If we can remove those barriers, I believe we will be able to travel quickly."

"Ok, let's get to it. Hand me some C-4, would you?"

The two men methodically worked their way through the boulder field, until they finally destroyed the last impediment. They walked through the rock-strewn opening and found the large flat region which Teal'c had reported to Jack. He had also mentioned Carter's description, but explained that he hadn't understood the reference, just that it had something to do with motorcycles. Jack whistled softly as he gazed out at the vast region. "Carter was right. It looks just like the salt flats. It makes sense that she'd make that particular connection too. Prometheus won't have any trouble landing here."

Janet and the rest of the assorted SG personnel who made up the rescue team arrived through the gate as soon as the path was cleared. Jack assigned 3 of them to stay at the gate, just in case Janet needed to request extra equipment from the SGC. The rest of them proceeded to the landing site. Teal'c had been right about the path, it only took a few minutes, even hauling the doctor's diagnostic equipment.

They set up a temporary camp at the edge of the blasted boulder field, where Jack had Daniel man the radio, sensing that Daniel needed to feel useful while they waited. Besides, maybe this way Daniel wouldn't keep talking about what had happened aboard the Prometheus, speculating on Sam's injury, and just generally prattling on and on. Most of the time Jack didn't mind when Daniel was in a particularly vocal mode, finding it actually soothing to have the noise in the background. If nothing else, it helped to keep track of where the man was at all times. But this time, he just couldn't take it. He needed some relative quiet so that he could stew in peace.

While they waited for the Prometheus to make contact, Jack thought about how many times in his career he had been in combat situations where hours of inactivity might be followed by mere minutes of intense fighting. The time spent waiting was tedious, yet nerve wracking, due to the uncertainty of the battle to come. This time, he wasn't worried about his own safety, but damn, he still hated waiting. It was maddening, now that they knew the ship was back, how these last few minutes of waiting seemed stretch out forever. Maybe it was the anticipation, knowing how close they were to finally reuniting the team. Maybe it was the worry that Carter's head injury could be life-changing if not life-threatening. He knew that head injuries could be incredibly tricky. Watching Janet fret told him that she felt the same way as he did. They both felt a strong need to do something, to act instead of just standing around with their thumbs up their …

"Prometheus to SG-1, do you read?"

Daniel grabbed the mike. "SG-1 here. We read you loud and clear. Do you copy?"

Jack noted Daniel's use of radio protocol with approval. It was a major change from their early days together, when Daniel was more likely to answer the radio with "What?" or "Jack, is that you?"

Jack motioned to Daniel to give up the mike and spoke into it. "This is Colonel O'Neill. It's good to hear from you. We were beginning to think you'd found a nice planet and had all decided to retire."

Colonel Ronson answered. "This is Colonel Ronson. It's good to be back, Jack. We're not quite ready to retire, but a little vacation time might be nice. Maybe when we get back to earth you can put in a good word for us."

"Consider it done, Bill. In the meantime, I understand you have a patient for Dr. Fraiser to examine"

"Yes, we do, if you've found a landing site for us."

"We sure have. If you can spot the gate, you'll see a large open area about a kilometer away. Looks a lot like the Bonneville Salt Flats, without the racers. We'll be waiting on the edge of the area near the rock field."

"All right, we should be there in 10 or 15 minutes. Ronson out."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

On board the Prometheus and Ronson's story

The large ship landed with surprisingly little impact, and the members of SG-1 and Dr. Fraiser waited impatiently for the massive landing doors to open. When they finally did, Fraiser rushed up the ramp with the nurse who had accompanied the team. Colonel Ronson stood at the head of the ramp, and sent them on their way to the infirmary with a crew member to guide them. Jack, Daniel and Teal'c were close behind, but Janet had already requested that they give her some time to perform diagnostic tests on Sam before they rushed in to see their injured teammate and friend.

Jack and Daniel had vigorously argued against this, imploring the doctor to allow them to at least see Sam, just to verify that she was actually back and breathing. Although Teal'c was not vocalizing his feelings, it was obvious to Janet that he was as intent on seeing Sam as the Colonel and Daniel.

While they had been waiting on the planet, she told them, "Listen guys, from what the medic told me, it's almost certain that Sam will be unconscious when we board. Even if she is awake, she probably won't be alert. I really do understand that you need to see her in order to convince yourselves that she's ok, but please, let me check her out first. I promise, as soon as we've done the CAT scan, I'll let you in for a quick visit."

The three men had finally agreed, and so now were waiting yet again. At least now, they were aboard the Prometheus and could take advantage of the wait to find out what had happened in greater detail.

Daniel asked, "Colonel Ronson, are you and the rest of the crew all right? Was Sam the only one injured?"

Ronson replied, "There were some minor burns, bruises, cuts, and scrapes, mostly from the initial attack. A couple of people suffered sprains or bruises when we beamed to and from the alien ship. The departures both times were unexpected and abrupt, so some people ended up falling flat on their faces or backsides when they rematerialized. But the only serious injury was to Major Carter."

Jack spoke up, trying not to sound accusatory. "Yeah, how did that happen, anyway? Hammond said something about her being left behind on the ship when you all evacuated?"

Ronson's response was defensive. "It was chaos, Jack. The ship was under attack and coming apart; we couldn't seem to even make a dent in their defenses; and we couldn't get away. The only way that I could see to save any lives was to give the order. 'Abandon ship' is the hardest command I've ever had to give and I hope to God I never have to do it again. There was barely time to get to the escape pods much less time enough to do a head count to see who made it out or if anyone was left on board."

Jack answered quickly. "Honestly, I wasn't blaming you. I was just curious how it all happened, and still am, to tell the truth."

Daniel broke in, "Yes, were you off course when all this happened? We gated to every planet near your planned flight path and found nothing."

Ronson smiled. "That was actually Major Carter's doing. There was a large gas cloud which was only a short distance out of our way, and the major said she would only require two hours, tops, to do a quick study. But as soon as dropped out of hyperspace for our cool-down stop near the cloud, we spotted the alien ship on our sensors. They approached, we raised shields and attempted to contact them, but they began firing on us. Our shields were draining, and our weapons had no impact on their ship at all. Major Carter had an idea to try to get us into the gas cloud in order to hide from the alien ship. She left the bridge to make the adjustments necessary to over-ride the safe guards on the hyper drive. After she left, things got worse, and our only chance was to evacuate using the escape pods, hoping to be picked up by a rescue team later."

Ronson continued his tale. "So there we were, floating in those damn tin cans, feeling completely vulnerable, when we were suddenly beamed onto the alien ship."

Daniel, curious as usual, questioned, "When you say alien, you mean not like any species we've encountered?"

"Well, the ship certainly didn't look Goa'uld, or ancient. None of us have seen a design remotely similar to this before."

Jack couldn't resist asking, "Were they little green men, or did they have bug stalks coming out of their heads?"

Daniel glared at Jack before resuming his questions. "Were they humanoid or even bipedal?"

At that question, Jack looked at Daniel in amazement. "Why are you asking if they rode bicycles? What difference does that make?"

Teal'c broke his silence, "I believe Dr. Jackson was inquiring if the aliens walked on two legs."

"Well, why didn't he say that then? Damn polysyllabic scientific jargon."

Neither Daniel nor Teal'c responded to the outburst. They knew that Jack's mood was based on the same underlying anxiety that they felt. Until they heard from Janet, all of them were on edge. The questioning of Ronson was not only a way to find out exactly what could have gone so badly for the Prometheus and Sam, but also a way to fill the time until Janet returned with news.

Ronson began talking again, mainly in order to quiet Jack's grumbling. "You know, we never even got a real look at these aliens. They were humanoid, that much we know - one head, two arms and two legs. But they wore something like haz mat suits every time they came into contact with us. At first, we speculated that their environment wasn't compatible with ours, and they were able to set up an earth-type atmosphere in the part of their ship where we were being held. Then when they entered that area of the ship, they'd have to use special equipment to survive. We realized pretty quickly that couldn't be the case, though."

"When they beamed us aboard, they somehow beamed us all at once, but in separate groups. Each group of us was kept in a room, apart from the other groups. We didn't have contact with the other groups at all. As a matter of fact, we didn't know if anyone else had been picked up, or if they were all killed, or if they were still out in their escape pods. I can't tell you how much that bothered me, not knowing if the rest of my crew were alive, dead, or helpless in space." He paused, clearly upset by the memory of that uncertainty.

Jack completely empathized with the man. Although he'd never been in charge of a ship, he'd been the leader of SG-1 and other teams. Every good leader knows that he or she has two main objectives: complete the mission, and protect your crew. For Jack, that second objective meant that he would always put himself at risk if it meant protecting a member of his team. It was one of the reasons that he invariably mouthed off to the Goa'uld. If he could keep their attention, they might not hurt his people. Although taking the arrogant bastards down a peg or two was almost as good a reason.

That sense of personal responsibility for the team was also one of the reasons why Sam's disappearance had bothered him so much. Even though she wasn't under his command on this particular mission, she was one of his team. He knew it wasn't his fault that the ship and Sam had gone missing; he knew there was nothing he could have done to prevent the attack and subsequent abductions, even if he had been on the trip. But he still had an overwhelming feeling that he should have been able to do something. When the ship hadn't reported in on time, he and the rest of SG-1 had responded as best as they could, but of course, it hadn't been enough.

Jack wasn't the type to wallow in self analysis – too many dark places in his psyche for that – but he did recognize that what he had been feeling hadn't been guilt, not this time. Guilt was a familiar torment. This time, he had felt helpless, and that was almost worse. Knowing that he had absolutely no knowledge or control of Carter's fate made him feel that he'd somehow failed as her commanding officer, even though there was no rational reason for that thought.

Jack could tell that Ronson had felt much the same way about his crew, but was also feeling the guilt. Ronson was probably second-guessing his decisions during the battle, wondering if he could have avoided the near catastrophe by doing anything differently.

Jack, hoping to steer Ronson away from the unpleasant memories, asked "So why did you decide that the aliens didn't need the haz mat suits for breathing?"

Ronson gave Jack a look of appreciation and said, "After we were returned to the Prometheus and compared notes, we discovered that we were all kept in different parts of the ship. We figured that it would have been awfully hard to maintain a separate atmosphere in that many areas of their ship. It would have been far more efficient to just keep us all in one large room and maintain our atmosphere there."

Daniel said, "That makes sense. Did you ever discover the reason for the suits?"

"The only thing we could think was that maybe they just were afraid of contamination."

"What, they thought you might give them cooties?" asked Jack.

Ronson smiled. "We certainly know that encounters with other cultures can be dangerous; there's always a chance of contagion. Maybe they feel the same way. Or maybe they were just wearing disguises."

Teal'c cocked an eyebrow in puzzlement at that last statement, but didn't question it. He still had some difficulty in determining when humans were joking and when they were serious. He felt comfortable with his teammates' sense of humor after their years together, but with others, he was often uncertain.

All this time, the four men had been standing in the corridor near the landing doors. Ronson noted the bedraggled appearance of the SG-1 members and asked. "How about moving to the mess? They make a fairly decent cup of coffee, and we can take a load off while I tell you the rest of the story. I'll let the infirmary know where we are so that Dr. Fraiser can contact us as soon as she's got some results."

Jack looked at Daniel and Teal'c and realized that all three of them could use a few minutes off their feet. They'd been going full speed ever since the news of the Prometheus's return, and anxiety and adrenaline could only take you so far. It would probably be a while before Janet knew anything, so they might as well take the time to rejuvenate.

"Sounds like a good idea. Lead the way."

Colonel Ronson took them down the winding passages to the brightly lit mess, and once inside, pointed out the coffee machine. Daniel and Jack each poured themselves a cup and Ronson asked, "Are you hungry? We can get something for you if you are."

The three members of SG-1 all declined the offer. The food here was certain to be better than the MRE's which they were accustomed to eating while off-world, but there was an unspoken agreement among them that they could wait until they heard from Janet. Once they knew that Sam was well, and in Janet's capable hands, they could relax enough to enjoy a meal. Until then, any food would be untasted, serving only as fuel to keep the body running.

"Getting back to the aliens on the ship," Daniel said, "were you able to communicate with them?"

"No problem there. They spoke English, but at first we thought their syntax must be different than ours."

"Why was that?'

"When they first came in to our room, they demanded to know why we were holding them prisoner. Of course, we were confused by that, and told them that we were the prisoners, not them. They kept asking the same things, though, over and over. 'Why are you keeping us captive? Why won't you release us?' We assumed that their version of English must have things turned around, but the questioning still didn't make sense to us. I tried questioning them about why they attacked us in the first place, but got nowhere. They weren't into answering, just asking."

"After a day or so of that, the questions changed to 'How are you keeping us here? What device are you using to trap us in this cloud?' That's when we realized that their ship must be stuck in the gas cloud which we'd entered in our attempt to escape them. We thought about trying to bluff our way out of it, claiming that we would use our device to release them as soon as they released us. But since we had no place to go, it wouldn't have helped. At that point, we didn't know that the Prometheus was still intact. It was an awfully hopeless feeling knowing that even if we could escape from our captors, we would have to take over their entire ship, and learn how to fly it, if we ever wanted to get home."

"Finally, we could see that they were getting more and more desperate. They were agitated and threatening us. 'If you do not instruct your ship to release us, we will begin killing your people.' That was actually a huge relief for us, because it was the first indication that Prometheus was still out there, and if the aliens thought it was responsible for trapping them, it must be in fairly good shape. We began to hope that we might have a chance at escape after all."

Daniel interrupted. "Why were they getting that desperate after such a short time? I can understand them being frustrated by the situation, but it sounds like Prometheus hadn't been able to damage them in the attack, so wouldn't be a threat to them now. I would assume that they had enough life support and rations to last for a while, so what was the rush?"

Ronson answered. "Oh yeah, I didn't mention that systems seemed to be failing all over their ship, with more frequency as time went on. We'd hear what sounded like alarms and see fluctuations in the lighting. At times, the ship just lurched, and the artificial gravity seemed unstable. The agitation of the guards escalated as the ship's problems increased. If they felt that we were causing the problems, it's no wonder that they threatened us."

Teal'c spoke up. "Considering that they attacked your ship without provocation, it is surprising that they did not harm you before that point."

Daniel thought out loud, "Yeah, I wonder why they beamed you aboard in the first place instead of just leaving you out there to die, or even killing you outright?"

Realizing how harsh that sounded, he quickly added, "Not that I think they should have done that. Just curious as to their motivations. Sorry."

Ronson replied to Daniel. "No problem, we wondered exactly the same thing at first. Then we overheard some of the guards speculating on how much good we'd be in the fields and mines of their home world. Apparently they had a labor shortage, and were 'recruiting' when they picked us up."

Nodding to Teal'c, he said, "That's probably why they didn't want to hurt us, either. They needed healthy slaves."

Daniel persisted in his questioning. "They obviously weren't averse to slavery. I wonder if they enslaved members of their own species or if they only …"

Jack cut him off, complaining, "Daniel, enough speculation about why they did it or whether their whole planet was one giant plantation! They were evil bastards, ok? Let Colonel Ronson finish."

Jack's patience was wearing thin. Ronson's account of their captivity was interesting, but Jack wanted, needed to know what Sam's role had been in this whole catastrophe. Apparently she hadn't been on the alien ship, so he tried to move Ronson's story along.

"You did say there were no other major injuries besides Carter, right? How did you manage to stop them from hurting you?"

Ronson recognized Jack's desire to wrap things up, so continued, "That's where Major Carter comes in. We were beamed back on board Prometheus just as suddenly as we had been beamed onto the alien ship from our escape pods. I found myself on the bridge, and saw Major Carter, looking like death warmed over, sitting in a control chair. I asked her what the hell had happened, and she responded saying something about a space bubble. I didn't understand, and she indicated that she would explain it all later."

"She then said 'Let's see if they keep their end of the bargain.' The alien ship took off, and she asked to be relieved of duty. I sent her to the infirmary, but that was the last time she spoke very clearly to us. From what the medics tell me, she's been in and out of consciousness, but hasn't made a lot of sense."

Daniel was incredulous. "So you have no idea what transpired? You don't know why they let you go?"

Ronson smiled and said, "Oh we have a pretty good idea. Major Carter kept a running log, which describes what occurred in fairly good detail. It's an amazing tale, and you will definitely want to listen to it. I'll be glad to give you a copy. I'm going to recommend the major for a medal, and the tape alone should be grounds enough, even without the testimony that I'll give, along with the rest of the crew."

He spoke to Jack now. "Jack, I don't know if you've ever had a serious head injury, but I have, and the symptoms are awful. The pain is bad enough, but then add nausea and vertigo, and it's almost impossible to function. For a day or so, I could barely remember my name, much less think straight. What Major Carter did in spite of that injury is incredible. We're still finding evidence that she prepared for a long stay alone on the ship - caches of food supplies and water, sections of the ship closed off to save energy, things like that. And most importantly to us, she got the ship out of that damn cloud and the aliens off our backs."

Jack was not as surprised by Carter's actions as Ronson seemed to be, but he'd been working with the woman for seven years now, and knew how tough she was. He knew that many of the people in the SGC and associated with it, thought of Carter only as a brilliant scientist. That was certainly true, but anyone who had been in combat situations with the major could attest to her abilities as a fighter. Her teammates on SG-1 also knew that a core of steel resided inside that eager-to-please, obedient-soldier exterior. She could do almost anything she set her mind to, and probably the only people who could match or exceed her stubbornness in accomplishing her objectives were Jack and her father.

To himself, he thought, "Oh crap, Jacob. I hope to God that Hammond remembered to contact him. We were all so rushed, that I didn't even think about letting him know that the Prometheus had shown up again. I'm sure that Hammond will remember. Of course the damn Tok'ra probably won't even let Jacob know unless they feel it's convenient. It sure would be nice to have him here with one those handy healing devices though. Nope, I can't dwell on that. We'll have to rely on Janet's prowess, and not worry about whether the Tok'ra decide to bless us with their presence."

Jack's thinking was halted by Ronson's voice. "You'll hear it all on the tape when you listen to it, but I'll give you the condensed version. The major must have been knocked out when she went to over-ride the safeties on the hyper drive. The engines hadn't had enough time to cool down since our last jump, and she thought we might be able to hide from the alien ship by doing a small hyperspace jump into the gas cloud. She must have succeeded, since we entered the cloud. But the aliens followed us in, kept attacking, and our ship wasn't going to last. That's when we evacuated."

"When the major woke up, and found us all gone, along with the escape pods, she surmised that she was alone on the ship, apparently for the long haul. The sub light engines were down, which meant no maneuvering ability. Even though the hyper drive was showing as operational, she couldn't open a hyper window to leave the cloud. She theorized that somehow the cloud was responsible for this, but couldn't determine how."

At this point, Ronson hesitated, unsure of how much to tell Major Carter's teammates about what he had heard on the tapes. It was evident that the woman had been in pain, and struggling to stay alert. It would be difficult for her friends to know that she had been suffering, but they would hear it themselves soon enough.

"Major Carter apparently set the log recorder to voice activation mode so that it would start automatically when she spoke. She knew that her symptoms were worsening, and she must have worried that she would forget to turn it on when she needed to dictate events as they occurred. When you listen to the tape, you'll hear that at times it sounds like Major Carter is having a conversation with someone. According to the medics, hallucinations would not be an unusual result of the concussion, but it is somewhat disturbing to hear."

Jack was curious enough to interrupt. "Can you tell who she thought she was talking to?"

Ronson looked down, not wanting to embarrass them, and answered, "Well, the three of you, I think. And maybe others as well, I can't be sure. Does the name Grace ring a bell?"

The three men looked at each other. Daniel saw no recognition on the others' faces, so responded for the group. "No, doesn't sound familiar. Did it seem like someone Sam knew well?"

"No, if I had to guess, I'd say that Major Carter seemed puzzled by Grace's appearances. You'll have to judge for yourselves when you hear it all."

"Anyway, at some point, systems began failing on Prometheus, just as they did on the alien ship. But thanks to the major's log, we know what was causing the problems. Apparently the cloud was corroding the ship, enough to eventually cause a hull breach. The major came up with an idea to move the ship out of the cloud, and as she began to move the ship, she discovered the alien ship in the cloud as well. She must have figured out that they were stuck too, and that we were aboard. She offered them a deal. Return all of us intact, let the Prometheus go and she would help them leave the cloud. They must have agreed, because they beamed us back onto Prometheus and took off without a thank you or a parting gift."

Jack, Daniel and Teal'c stood silently for a moment, absorbing the enormity of their teammate's actions. They were used to Sam coming up with brilliant solutions when there was no apparent way out of a life and death situation. Hearing that she had done so once again came as no surprise, but the idea of her doing so while in pain, unable to think clearly, and hallucinating, was hard to comprehend. Ronson's first-hand account of her suffering only served to increase their concern about her well-being.

Jack muttered, "What's taking Fraiser so long? I thought she was only going to run a CAT scan. How long can that take?"

Teal'c defended the doctor. "Dr. Fraiser knows of our concern. I am certain that she will inform us as soon as she has ascertained Major Carter's condition. Perhaps she is running additional tests to verify her diagnosis."

Daniel agreed. "Jack, you know Janet isn't wasting time. I'm sure that she'll be here any minute."

Jack responded, "I wasn't complaining about the doc, believe me. I'm just more worried now than before. If Carter asked to be relieved of duty, you know she had to be feeling really bad. You know how she is about her health. She never admits to being hurt or feeling sick."

Daniel answered, "You're right, she's almost as bad as Teal'c when it comes to denying sickness and injury."

Teal'c looked offended and replied, "I do not deny my illnesses and injuries; I simply choose to ignore them."

Jack snorted, "Yeah, big difference."

Ronson listened to this exchange between the men and wished that he could ease their worries. Unfortunately, he had seen the major, and had talked with the medics, and knew how concerned they were. He hoped that Dr. Fraiser's more sophisticated tests would show that Major Carter's head injury wasn't life threatening and hadn't caused brain damage. It was appalling to consider the idea of that intelligent mind being shut down or hobbled.

The intercom broke into his thoughts. "Infirmary to Colonel Ronson."

All four men looked up at the speaker on the wall. Ronson picked up the nearest headset and called the infirmary.

"Ronson here."

"This is Dr. Fraiser. Could you send SG-1 here? I've got some results."

"I'll escort them myself. Ronson out."

To the three anxious faces, he said "Gentlemen, we're wanted in the infirmary."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

In the infirmary on board the Prometheus

The men of SG-1 followed Colonel Ronson to the infirmary. All three had spent considerable time aboard the ship, so could probably have found their way on their own, but the Colonel appeared to be almost as concerned as they were about Major Carter. And he certainly would be able to get them there more quickly than if they were on their own.

When they reached the infirmary door, Janet was waiting to meet them. Jack and Daniel tried to interpret her expression, but Janet had schooled herself to hold her own emotions in check when dealing with her patients and their families and friends. Her face gave no indication of what the results were.

She nodded as she acknowledged them. "Colonels, Daniel, Teal'c. I'm sorry that it took so long, but I wanted to be sure about Major Carter's condition before making a decision about whether to bring her through the gate. It appears that there's no swelling, and no permanent damage. You can stop worrying, she's not in danger.

When we get back to earth I'm going to want to run more extensive tests, including some testing of her cognitive abilities, but she's safe for now. I think with proper restraints, it will be safe to use the gate instead of flying home on the Prometheus."

The three men seemed to collectively relax. The anxiety which had been hovering over them for a week now was gone. Jack responded first. "That's great news, doc! Can we see her?"

Janet replied, "Yes, you can go in, but I want to warn you about a few things before you do. First, she looks very pale and drawn, not surprising considering the pain she must have been suffering. Second, she's still losing consciousness off and on, as Colonel Ronson indicated. She may just pass out in the middle of a sentence. Again, with this type of injury, that's not unusual, so don't be overly concerned. Finally, she's not completely lucid. Some of what she's saying doesn't make a lot of sense, and she probably won't remember any conversations that you have at this point. So Teal'c, don't make her promise that she'll watch all the Star Wars movies with you again; Colonel, if she agrees to rig up that satellite dish that will bring you the Simpsons in different languages from around the world, don't hold her to it; and Daniel, well, just try to keep the other two from getting out of control."

Her attempt at humor was the best indication to the men that Sam was really all right. They knew the two women were close friends, and that Janet wouldn't joke if Sam were in dire shape. As the three men entered the door, she added, "I know I don't have to warn you to keep it short and quiet. I'll be right here if you need me."

Colonel Ronson stayed back with the doctor, understanding that the three men would want to see their colleague alone. He asked the doctor, "So is she really ok? Are the cognitive tests necessary because you're worried that she might have lost some brain function?"

Janet looked closely at him, and said, "That didn't get by you, huh? I wasn't sure if I should mention to the guys, but if there was damage, they'll want to be there to support her. I'm about 95 percent sure that she's fine, but we need to be certain."

Ronson smiled. "I don't think you had to worry about telling them. It seemed to me that they didn't hear much of anything after you said she had no permanent damage and wasn't in danger."

Janet answered, "I think you're right about that. I'll mention it again later, after they've been reassured that she's ok. But while they spend a few minutes with Sam, could we start making arrangements to get her to the gate? We need to radio the other SGC members at the gate and ask them to bring the stretcher here. Once they do that, we should be able to get off the ship pretty quickly and let you get on your way. I'm sure you want to get home as soon as possible. From what your medics told me, the last few days must have been hard on you and your entire crew."

"That's the truth. It was a long trip home even before our little run-in with the aliens. We all could use a few days of R and R."

Janet suddenly remembered another detail. "We should also report in with General Hammond, and give him an update on Sam's condition and our plans."

"I'll take care of it. I'll also tell him that you'll radio him through the gate when you're ready to leave."

Inside the infirmary, Jack, Daniel and Teal'c watched their sleeping teammate. Janet had been correct, Sam looked gaunt, but they didn't see a great deal of evidence of physical trauma. The only visible injuries were a cut and bruise on her forehead. But all three knew that the human body was much more fragile than it appeared, and small external wounds could hide much more extensive internal damage. That was clearly the case here.

After a few minutes, it seemed clear that Sam was in a deep sleep or unconscious. She was totally unresponsive, even when Daniel impulsively reached out and took her hand and quietly called her name. Jack was just about to suggest that they get Janet and start preparations for transporting Sam home when her eyes suddenly popped open. She took in the three of them and standing around her, and started speaking impatiently. "Oh, so you're all here now. You don't have to tell me again, I know just what you're going to say." Gesturing toward Daniel, she said, "You're going to tell me to communicate with the cloud, to try to negotiate with it somehow." To Teal'c, she commented, "You think the cloud is trying to find out about our defenses and that I need to avoid giving out any information." She looked at the colonel and said, "I'm not sure exactly what you were trying to tell me, but whatever it was, I don't want to hear it now. I just need to get the ship working and out of here as soon as I can."

The three men looked at each other, clearly confused. Teal'c suggested, "I believe that Major Carter is under the illusion that she is still trying to escape the cloud. Dr. Fraiser mentioned that she might not be lucid, but I was not aware that she was still suffering from hallucinations. Perhaps we should request that the doctor return."

Daniel headed for the door to call Janet as Sam continued. "So where's Dad? I thought sure he'd show up to give me some more advice. And what happened to Goldilocks? She gave me a great idea for getting out of this thing."

Now Jack was really getting worried. He was used to seeing teammates battered, bruised, and bloody, but hearing Carter speak nonsense somehow disturbed him more than the most horrific battle injuries. The thought of her mind shutting down was hard to bear. Truth be told, head injuries scared the crap out of him.

Sam kept on. "I know you guys really aren't here, so I guess it doesn't matter if I sound unappreciative, but do you suppose I could just have a little peace and …"

Just as suddenly as her eyes had opened, they closed, and her voice stopped as if someone had hit an off switch.

Daniel turned back, startled by the sudden quiet. He quickly opened the door, calling for Janet, and Jack rushed to the bed, worried that Sam had taken a turn for the worse.

Janet came in, listening as Daniel said, "She must have been hallucinating, but then she just passed out again, really quickly. I know you said she was passing in and out, but that suddenly? And she's still hallucinating after all this time?"

Janet did a quick read of the instruments, and responded to him. "She's stable. I know it's hard to see this, but it's fairly normal. From what I understand, when she was alone, she hallucinated about the three of you. If you think about it, that would be the logical thing for her to do. When she was in trouble, her subconscious mind turned to you three for help. You are the ones that she depends on for support and help when she needs it, so why shouldn't she imagine you were there when she needed you? So now, when she woke up and saw you here, not remembering that she was out of trouble, she drew the conclusion that you weren't real, just more of the same hallucinations as before. I hope she didn't insult any of you or say anything that you'll tease her about later."

The last line was delivered to Jack with a stern glare. He tried to look innocent, but Janet knew that he would kid Sam unmercifully, given ammunition. Janet didn't usually mind when the colonel teased Sam. Sometimes the woman was just too serious for her own good. As a matter of fact she and Cassie considered it their duty to get Sam to lighten up occasionally. Janet knew that if Colonel O'Neill did intend to kid Sam using something that she had just said, he'd wait until she was safe and feeling better. But Janet thought this time it would be unfair; after all, Sam had no idea of where she was or who she was talking to.

Daniel rescued Jack from Janet's warning. "I don't think she said anything that he could use, except maybe the Goldilocks reference. Do any of you know what that was about?"

"Not a clue," was Jack's response, echoed by Teal'c's "The remark had no meaning to me."

"Well maybe when she's better, she'll be able to remember and tell us what she meant. In the meantime, Doc, are we ready to get this show on the road?" After hearing Sam's incoherent statements, Jack was especially eager to get Sam home now. He wouldn't feel comfortable until she was safe in the confines of the infirmary, where hopefully Janet could clear up the problems which still lingered in Sam's mind.

Janet told him. "Colonel Ronson and I were just discussing that, and as soon as the stretcher gets here, which should be any minute now, we can take off."

"Glad to hear it. Teal'c, Daniel, stay here with Carter while I go say our goodbyes and thanks to Colonel Ronson. I'll be back when we're set to go."

As Jack left, Daniel asked Janet, "What's so special about this stretcher anyway? Isn't there one on the ship that we could borrow?"

Janet replied. "You probably haven't seen this one before. We've only had it for a few months, and it's made especially for situations like this. It's ironic, but Sam is the one who basically created it. When someone has a head injury, we want to keep the head completely stable as we transport them. If they're still experiencing vertigo, any head movement could trigger nausea or vomiting, and that could cause all kinds of problems, including aspirating the vomit into the lungs, which could lead to suffocation and death. That's one of the reasons that we're so careful about using the gate when someone's suffered a head injury. Gate travel is disorienting under normal circumstances, when all your senses are acting normally. But if your balance system is disrupted by a head injury, going through the gate can really confuse your inner ear."

"Anyway, I was telling Sam all this a while back and she asked me if there was anything we could do to avoid these problems. I told her that our normal stretchers weren't able to keep the patient stable enough on the trip through gate. She asked me to describe what would work and I told her. She and Siler got together and made a prototype, which was almost perfect, but we tweaked it a little and came up with what you'll see. First, it's got an adjustable head restraint, which boxes in the patient's head, not allowing any side to side movement. It's got straps which are used to hold the body and limbs motionless, so the patient won't thrash around. Finally, the handles have special grips to make it easier on the stretcher bearer, and make it less likely that they'll lose hold. We even included some wrist straps attached to the stretcher for the stretcher bearers to use while going through the gate. We don't want a stumble on the ramp to cause the stretcher to drop, causing more damage to the patient."

She smiled. "It really is a useful tool, and Sam thinks we should apply for a patent. It could be used in mountain rescues, or anytime an injured person needs to be carried out of hazardous terrain. Of course, even if we got a patent, and somehow it was marketed, we wouldn't make any money, since we came up with the design while working for the Air Force, but still, it would be a nice legacy. And as Sam said, it's one of the few times that something we invent isn't classified, so it could be put to general use."

Daniel was again impressed by the ingenuity of all his colleagues at the SGC. Janet, for coming up with the idea for the stretcher; Sam, for designing it; and Siler for being able to build one. He knew that often advances in medicine and technology came during wartime, and this was a perfect example. A wartime invention that could be used for other purposes.

Janet continued to speak, interrupting his thoughts. "The only problem with the Head Trip is that it's fairly bulky. It doesn't collapse as completely as a regular stretcher, so it's not practical to carry along unless we know it's necessary. That's why we left it behind until I knew our plans."

Daniel sputtered, "Excuse me? What did you call it? The Head Trip? Whose idea was that?"

Janet looked embarrassed and replied, "I don't even know who first came up with it. I think the official Air Force name is 'Portable Constrained-Head-Motion Carrying Device.' Since no one could come up with a good nickname out of the acronym PCHMCD, other suggestions were offered. Someone wanted to call it the Gate Crasher, but I reminded them that the idea was to not crash, so thankfully that idea went away. Some of the other nicknames I heard were Non-Vomit Comet, Carter's Cot, Fraiser's Folly, and Siler's Sling. Don't ask me how Head Trip won out. I didn't like any of them."

Bemused, Daniel asked, "What would you have called it?"

"Probably just the Head Stretcher, but now that I've said that out loud, it sounds strange too, doesn't it? Kind of like the opposite of a psychiatrist."

At that, Daniel snickered, and the sound apparently woke Sam up.

She looked around, and asked, "Daniel, Teal'c, you're here. Are we back on Earth?"

Teal'c moved closer to her bed and answered her. "No Major Carter, you are still aboard the Prometheus, but I assure you, we are real. We are here to bring you back to the SGC."

She looked relieved at that, and said, "I'm really glad to hear that. I had the strangest dream. You were there, and you were there," pointing to Daniel, "and the Colonel and my dad were there, and a strange little girl. Geez, did that just come out like a really bad Wizard of Oz reference?"

Janet, in doctor mode once again, questioned Sam. She needed to find out if Sam was really with them this time or if she still thought she was hallucinating. "So do you remember what happened?"

"I remember the attack on the ship, and I must have been knocked out. I remember being alone on the ship, but not being able to move it, and trying to figure out how to get it operational again."

She stopped suddenly. "Wait, that wasn't a dream I had, was it? I was imagining all of you. I knew that you were hallucinations, and that somehow you were trying to help, or I was trying to help myself, or … I'm not sure what was going on. I do remember wishing that you had been one of my hallucinations, Janet; maybe you could have helped me find a way to get my head straight. It was so hard to think clearly through the head pounding, and the dizziness, and the constant interruptions from all my imaginary friends."

She smiled ruefully after the last comment. It had been extremely hard for her to lose control of her reasoning abilities while injured. She had always been the brainy one, the one who could figure things out faster than almost everyone else. But while she had been trapped alone on the Prometheus, she had been betrayed by the one thing that she thought she could always count on, her own mind. It conjured up false images, shut down and caused her to pass out when she most needed to keep going, and muddled her thought processes when she needed to find a solution. Even when she was thinking reasonably clearly, she still couldn't be sure if her experiences were real or imaginary. Her self confidence had been shot; she had felt unsure of herself. It was an unfamiliar feeling for her. Sure, there had been times in the past when she had questioned her decisions, but that had been mostly after the fact, when second guessing was almost natural. In the heat of the moment, she was usually very confident in her choices. You had to be in their line of work. Anything else could and did lead to death. But this time, she felt as if her mind had been trying to work against her, and she wasn't sure how that was going to impact her in the future.

Still thinking to herself, "I can't stay on the team if I keep up this way. I wouldn't want to endanger the colonel or Daniel or Teal'c by my indecisiveness. Maybe it's just a consequence of the concussion. I hope so, because I really don't want to leave the team. Still, I better talk to Janet when we get home. If I'm just being paranoid, she'll set me straight quick enough, but she has a responsibility for the safety of the guys too, so she'll tell me if I need to step down."

Sam vaguely remembered some other thoughts during her time alone, but she couldn't focus enough yet to bring them to the front of her brain. She thought there had been a lot of self reflection, but maybe that was something she'd talk to Janet about later, too, but when they were off-duty. Right now, it was too hard to concentrate on much of anything.

Janet was relieved that Sam had responded well to her question, and actually remembered some of the events aboard the Prometheus. Sam also recognized that she had been hallucinating, which was a good sign as well. But Janet knew that these moments of clear-headedness had come before, and could be replaced by the "imaginary friends' state the next time that Sam awoke. It would still be a while before Sam would be back to normal.

Daniel decided that since Sam was making light of her hallucinations, she must be feeling somewhat better, so he teased her, "Wait a minute, you didn't enjoy our appearances? I would have thought that being stranded alone on a spaceship light years away from home would make you appreciate any companionship. I know that Teal'c's incessant babbling was probably annoying, but surely my fantasy version was a welcome presence."

Teal'c merely looked at Daniel, and stated, "I am sure that the Teal'c in Major Carter's imagination was of great help to her, unlike the Dr. Jackson created by her head injury who was likely to be much the same as you would be."

Daniel protested. "Hey! I bet I tried to help too. Didn't I Sam?"

They both looked over at Sam, who had passed out again, unnoticed by either of the men. Janet was bent over the bed, checking the instruments again.

Daniel was alarmed. "Janet, is she going to keep doing that? Can't you put her out for a while so that at least she doesn't wake up while she's in the wormhole? Even with all the restraints, it would be unnerving to suddenly wake up to that."

Janet reassured him. "I'm going to administer a strong sedative just before we go through. I don't like to use those kinds of drugs with head injuries, because they sometimes can mask symptoms which we need to monitor. But in this case, I agree with you, I don't want her waking up in transit through the wormhole. But you know with Sam's altered blood chemistry, I have to adjust the dosage. I only want to give her a minimal dose, just enough to keep her under a short time, and if I give it now, it'll wear off too soon. I'm going to wait until just before we enter the gate. So she may come to again, and as I warned you, she may or may not be as clear as she was this time. Chances are, she won't even remember this conversation."

Daniel was unhappy with this announcement. It bothered him more than he wanted to admit; seeing how confused Sam had been the first time she woke up. She was always on top of things, almost never out of control, rarely flustered, and out of the four of them, the least likely to be injured or sick. She looked so vulnerable, first just lying unconscious in the infirmary bed, and then, even worse, when she was completely unaware of her surroundings. He knew that she hated feeling helpless more than almost anything, and that when she did come out of this, she would have to deal with the feelings that must have been generated when she was alone, injured and trapped light years from home.

On one of their first missions together as a team, Sam had been kidnapped and taken away from the rest of SG-1 for a short time. After they returned to earth, Daniel and Sam had talked about the incident. Daniel felt somewhat guilty since he had insisted that Sam wear a native costume, and that the team should respect the local customs. That meant she had been left alone while the men of the team participated in one of the tribe's celebrations. It was during this celebration that Sam had been taken captive and sold to the leader of a neighboring tribe. After the rest of SG-1 found her and in effect paid to get her back, she hadn't told the men much about her captivity. They had been caught up in a struggle to save the life of the daughter of the tribe's leader, so there hadn't been any time to discuss it with her. Once they were back home, Daniel brought up the subject by apologizing.

"Sam, I want to say how sorry I am for getting you into that mess. We should have left right away, just as soon as the locals showed their views of women. My curiosity put you in danger, and I hope that you'll forgive me. I promise to try to be more careful in the future."

"Daniel, remember I wanted to stay too. I hoped we'd get some useful medicine, and as it turned out, we did. And we managed to change a few attitudes about women on the planet, so all in all, I'd say we ended up in the plus column."

"Still, it must have been awful, being taken captive and sold. It seems to me that you've been a little quiet since we got back. If you want to talk about it, please know that I'm here if you need me. I know that the Air Force provides counseling as well, if you don't want to talk to me. It might help you to talk it over with someone."

Sam frowned at the thought of talking to an Air Force counselor. She knew that she could schedule a visit if she needed to, and theoretically, the visit would be held in strictest confidence, but she also knew how the grapevine worked. All it would take would be for one airman to spot her coming out of the doctor's office, and the speculating would become rampant. She had several reasons for not wanting that to happen.

First, as an officer, any hint of instability might hurt her career. Talking with a psychiatrist wasn't supposed to hamper an officer's position, and the visits were encouraged when the officer had been through a traumatic experience. But she had been witness to whispering campaigns which had trashed an officer's reputation, in spite of the official position.

Second, as a woman, she worried that visiting a psychiatrist would be seen by some as confirmation that women shouldn't be on combat teams. There were people looking for reasons to keep women off the Stargate teams, and as the only female member of the flagship team, she felt a huge responsibility to show them that they were wrong. This last mission had come very close to guaranteeing the argument that women shouldn't be allowed to be on the first contact teams. When she had been taken captive and sold, she not only had despaired about her personal situation, but had been concerned what it might mean for the future of women on SG teams. Had she not been able to take down Turghan, she knew that the brass might have insisted that women were too vulnerable and would be liabilities on off planet missions.

Finally, Sam wasn't the type to open up to anyone else about her feelings. She didn't really have any close friends with whom she could share her emotions, and now that she was working on a top secret project, that was especially true. As a woman in the military, she knew that she had to keep her emotions hidden, or she would be considered weak. She was accustomed to keeping everything bottled up most of the time, but there were times when she found herself crying in her car on the way home from the mountain. Not necessarily from sadness or stress or any specific incident, but just because she had been holding all her feelings in for a long time and they sometimes just needed to come out. In her car, alone, it was safe to let go.

She didn't really want to go into all of that with Daniel that day, but she told herself that maybe he could be the friend who would listen and understand at least part of what she was struggling with.

She confessed to him, "I think the worst part was the feeling that this brute had complete control over me. I was sure that you guys would come for me, but for a while at least, I had to do whatever this jerk told me to. I felt completely helpless. Did I tell you that I tried to escape? I got caught, and when they brought me back to him, he didn't threaten to hurt me, but to beat his wife instead. It was a really effective way of making sure that I behaved. I couldn't let him hurt an innocent for something that I did, so I had to obey him. I really, really, hated that feeling of not having any control. If you're serious about wanting to help me, promise me that you'll do anything you can to make sure that doesn't happen again."

Daniel assured her that he would do the best he could, and asked for the same promise in return. She gave it without hesitation, and he thought that had been the beginning of the special trust and friendship between them. Since then, both of them had been in too many situations over the years where someone else had once again dominated them. But every time, if they were together, they shared a look, recalling that original pledge, knowing that they could count on each other.

This time, Sam had been alone, without any hope of her team coming to her immediate rescue, so he knew that it must have been doubly hard on her. Factor in the difficulties with her reasoning ability, and he thought it would have been nearly unbearable. He couldn't believe that she had been able to pull off another miracle, and found a way to move the Prometheus and rescue the rest of the crew while she was in that kind of shape. He looked at his watch and the door, asking Janet, "Shouldn't that stretcher be here by now? I didn't think it took us that long to get here from the gate."

Janet understood his anxiety. She wanted to get Sam home too. It did seem to be taking longer than she thought it should. "Maybe I'll call Colonel Ronson and have him check on its progress."

As the words left her mouth, the infirmary doors opened, admitting Jack, Colonel Ronson and several of the SGC crew who had accompanied SG-1 and Janet to the planet. They brought in the Head Trip and Jack explained, "Sorry doc, they called in and claimed that they got lost on the way. I guess the trail of blasted rocks wasn't a good enough hint. Next time we'll leave bread crumbs."

Seeing Janet's indignant look, he added, "Don't worry, I threatened them with one of your 'special' examinations when we get home if they don't hustle on the way back to the gate. How's she doing? Is she ready for a ride home?"

Janet was already unpacking the stretcher, getting it ready for use, so Daniel answered. "She woke up, and was more aware of things this time, but then she passed out suddenly again. The sooner we get her back, the better."

"Ok, campers, let's get going. Colonel, thanks for the hospitality, and we'll be seeing you back on earth. Have a safe trip home, and don't make anymore side trips."

Ronson answered, "Could you let us know how the major is doing as soon as the doctor has completed her testing? We'd all gotten to know and like her before the attack, and now that she saved our butts, we'd all like to know that she's ok."

Teal'c answered before Jack could respond. Nodding to Ronson, he said, "We will alert you to Major Carter's condition, and also inform her of your concern and regards. I am certain that she will recover fully and will wish to return to the Prometheus to personally thank you for your good wishes."

Jack, listening to what amounted to a speech from Teal'c added, "Yeah, what he said. Doc, are we about ready?"

Janet had supervised the Prometheus medics and her own nurse as they transferred Sam from the infirmary bed to the stretcher, and was making the final adjustments to the head restraint.

"All I need to do is fasten the body straps and we can go. Who's got the first shift of carrying her?"

Colonel Ronson spoke up quickly. "As a favor, could my people do that? Allow us to bring her out of the ship, and then your team can take over. We feel that she's part of our crew, too, and we'd like to feel that we're keeping her under our care as long as possible, at least as long as she's still on board."

Janet was touched by the respect evident in the offer and in the man's voice. She answered.  
"It's fine with me, and I'm sure that our guys won't mind letting you be responsible for her just a little while longer."

With that arranged, four Prometheus crew members came in and gently picked up the stretcher. Janet walked along side, ready to give immediate aid, should it be necessary. Colonel Ronson and the SGC personnel brought up the rear. Walking through the ship, the corridors seemed more crowded than when the team had arrived. Daniel remarked on the fact to Ronson.

"Yes I know. I probably should order them all back to duty, but I know why they're here, and I can't bring myself to do that. She saved all our lives, and if they want to show her their respect, I'm not about to stop them from doing that, even if she isn't aware of it."

"Don't worry, Colonel, we'll let her know."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Back to the SGC

The procession consisting of the Prometheus crewmen carrying Sam, Janet, SG-1, Colonel Ronson and the rest of the SGC personnel who had carried equipment to the ship came to a halt at the bottom of the landing ramp. The hand off of the stretcher from Prometheus crew to SGC crew was done smoothly, and the SGC members began the short trip back to the Stargate.

As they entered the boulder field, the doors to the Prometheus closed and the ship's engines could be heard preparing for take off. A few minutes later, the SGC personnel saw the ship overhead, on its way back to earth. It would take a few days for them to complete the journey, as they continued their series of short hops and longer cool down periods. Jack knew that this flaw in the Prometheus was something that Carter was eager to help correct. He also knew that with the seriousness of her injury, it was unlikely that Janet would ok her for off-world missions for a while. But, maybe the doctor would allow her to spend some time working on the Prometheus problem if she didn't overdo it. Jack also recalled that Sam had been itching to work on a weapon that would be effective against the super soldiers. He'd have to mention both possibilities to Janet. The two of them should try to come up with relatively sedentary activities for Sam. She didn't seem to have an off switch when she got involved with a project, but if she was working in her lab, they might be able to limit her hours of work, and make sure that she got the nourishment and rest that she'd need. He'd enlist the aid of General Hammond, and the rest of SG-1 to make sure that she didn't try to do too much too soon.

Jack first checked to see if Sam was still unconscious, not wanting her to overhear. Then he told Janet of his ideas. The doctor walking next to him behind the stretcher, considered his suggestions. "I think it's a good idea to find something to keep her occupied for a while. It may be a week or two before she's ready for that, but once she's up and about, you're right, we need to find something for her to do. I'm not just worried about her overworking, but I'm also concerned that if she doesn't have anything else to do, she'll dwell on this experience too much. Some of the things she's said make me think that she believes her hallucinations were manifestations of parts of her own personality, and it sounds like she might not have liked everything they told her. It's true that she will probably need to sort through some things, but she shouldn't get obsessed with it."

"Doc, you do know that I hate hearing expressions like manifestations of parts of the personality, don't you? Just to be clear, we need to keep her busy so that she doesn't spend too much time contemplating her belly button, and questioning the meaning of life, right?"

"Right."

Teal'c, who was bringing up the rear of the procession, announced, "I believe Major Carter has awakened again."

Janet looked over and saw that Sam's eyes were open, but that she looked bewildered. "What are you guys doing here?" She looked around, tried to move, and when she found that she couldn't, asked, "Why am I strapped down? Janet, is that you?"

Janet soothed her, saying, "You were injured on the Prometheus, and we're bringing you home. You're strapped onto a stretcher so that you won't be injured further when we go through the gate." She believed that keeping a patient informed of their status was the best way to keep them calm in situations like this.

The simple explanation was enough to stop the worry that had begun to show on Sam's face, but she still looked dazed. "But why are we on a planet, not Prometheus, and why are you all here?"

Jack spoke quietly, "The ship landed on this planet and we gated to it so that we could bring you back to earth."

"I don't feel that bad, except for a horrendous headache. Why would you have to come get me?" A frightened look was coming into her eyes.

Janet hurried to reassure her. "You had a head injury, and the medics on the Prometheus didn't have the equipment to fully diagnose it, so they called me. The tests seem fine, but since we came all this way to see if you were ok, it just makes sense that we bring you back with us, rather than making you spend another week or so on the Prometheus. You know that I wouldn't risk gate travel if it was really serious. Besides, now you get to test out the Head Trip yourself. If we decide to write up that patent application, you can describe its usefulness from first hand experience."

Sam was calmer now, but Daniel and Teal'c realized that she hadn't recalled either of their previous conversations aboard the Prometheus. Janet had been right when she'd explained that Sam's memory would be spotty for a while. It was disturbing, but at least Janet had warned them to expect it.

By this time, the group had reached the gate. Jack ordered Daniel to dial up earth, and radio through to Hammond to let him know that they were coming through momentarily. Janet spoke to Sam, but made sure that Jack heard as well, since he hadn't heard the discussions aboard the ship.

"Sam, I'm going to give you a sedative now, before we go through the gate. I know that you don't like this, but we have to be sure that you keep perfectly still when we go through the wormhole. I'm giving you a mild dose, so you should wake up shortly after we get home."

Jack looked away as Janet pushed the needle into Sam's arm. He wasn't particularly squeamish about needles, but he knew Carter hated sedatives, just as he did. Maybe they'd been gassed too many times by the Goa'uld to ever want to voluntarily be put under. But Janet's explanation made sense, and when he looked again, Carter's eyes were closed and she was breathing slowly. Janet checked her vitals and pronounced her ready to go.

The wormhole opened with its usual kawoosh, and Daniel called the SGC. "This is SG-1, calling Stargate Command."

Walter answered. "Stargate Command here. Are you ready to return?"

"Yes, But Dr. Fraiser has requested that a gurney be brought to the gate room."

General Hammond, standing next to Walter, answered. "It's already there, son. Bring her on through." To Walter, he ordered, "Sergeant, open the iris. I'll be in the gate room."

On the planet, the men of SG-1 took three of the handles of the stretcher and Lt. Colonel Harper took the fourth. Janet went through first, so that she could be ready to help Sam if necessary as soon as the stretcher exited the wormhole. After waiting a minute or so, in order to not step on top of the doctor when they came through, the men bearing the stretcher were next, followed by the small collection of SGC personnel who carried the rest of the medical equipment.

Coming down the ramp, Janet allowed herself the few seconds it usually took her to adjust her balance and eyes every time she came through the wormhole. When she looked around, she saw a large number of people in the gate room, even more than had been present outside the commissary before they left. She was once again moved by this show of respect for her friend, and made a mental note to tell Sam of these incidents as soon as Sam's mind was fully functioning again.

General Hammond came through the gate room doors just as the stretcher came through the gate. Dr. Fraiser waited until the group reached the bottom of the ramp before checking Sam's breathing and pulse. Hammond assumed that the results must have been normal since the doctor then calmly ordered her staff to bring the waiting gurney over. They quickly transferred the major to the gurney and made their way to the infirmary.

Hammond congratulated the group standing before him. "Well done, men. From your earlier reports, it sounds like the major is going to be fine, and that you've got quite a story to tell about her actions on the Prometheus. Debriefing in half an hour." Although his remarks had been directed to the recovery team, he had purposely spoken loud enough for the entire group assembled in the gate room to hear. Their presence was technically against the regulations, but it was too late to do anything about it now. Might as well make the best of the situation and let everyone know that Major Carter was on the road to recovery, not at death's door. This way the truth would get out as soon as possible, and maybe help to raise morale.

Jack speaking on behalf of the returning group, said "Thank you sir. But the main thanks should go to Dr. Fraiser and the Prometheus crew. They're the ones who took care of Major Carter. We were just the muscle on this one."

In the infirmary, Janet saw to it that Sam was comfortable in a bed, and arranged for the additional tests which could now be performed. She had been reassured by Sam's brief periods of consciousness. Granted, the men of SG-1 had told her that at one point she was still caught up in a hallucinatory state, but the other times she had been cognizant of her surroundings and even recalled what had happened both before and after her injury. Those were good signs. Sam might still have episodes where she might be momentarily unaware of her situation, but if they were lucky, those wouldn't last long, and Sam would be back to normal within a few days. It wouldn't hurt to remind Jack that she might still be disoriented when she came too, so that he'd be prepared if she said or did something which might seem inappropriate.

She couldn't do any more for now, so she decided to call Cassie. This was one phone call she looked forward to. After that, she would head to the debriefing.

The debriefing with General Hammond mainly consisted of retelling Colonel Ronson's story about the attack, the Prometheus' crew 'visit' to the alien ship and Sam's actions back on the Prometheus. They handed over a copy of Sam's log, which they hadn't been able to listen to yet, and gave him a brief overview of the rescue mission itself. Janet gave the general her current diagnosis of Sam's condition and the impact of her injury on Sam's ability to work. "Of course, this is all preliminary until I complete the testing. If the level of injury is what I suspect, she should be back on light duty within a week, maybe two weeks. No team missions for at least a month. But Colonel O'Neill has a couple of projects in mind that might be perfect for the light duty. He can discuss that with you later."

General Hammond told the team that they were on stand-down for the immediate future, but could certainly go out with other teams if needed. He was about to dismiss them, when he remembered another piece of information. "I got through to the Tok'ra, but didn't talk to Jacob directly. I was assured that Jacob will be informed about Sam's return as soon as he makes contact."

Jack looked skeptical at this, but Hammond continued. "I think I actually found a sympathetic Tok'ra, for a change. He seemed to genuinely agree that it was important for Jacob to know about his daughter and said that he would encourage Jacob to come here if at all possible."

Teal'c broke in before Jack could express more disbelief in the honesty of the Tok'ra. "I believe that Jacob Carter would be a welcome aid in Major Carter's recovery. She expressed an interest in spending more time with him after we found Anubis' secret base, but he was called away before they could do so."

Jack couldn't disagree with that statement, so he kept his complaints to himself, and led the other two men toward the infirmary. "I'm sure the doctor won't want all of us hanging out in the infirmary, so how about we all check her out now, and then take shifts. I'm sure it will be easier on Carter if she wakes up to a friendly face and not some surly nurse."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he scowled, and quickly looked around to be sure there were no medical personnel in hearing range. For once, he'd gotten lucky and he hadn't been overheard by the wrong person.

"You knew what I meant, right? It would just be better if it were one of us there whenever she wakes up. From what Janet's said, chances are she'll be disoriented for a while, and if she's confused we can set her straight."

Daniel agreed, but wanted to be sure that Jack wouldn't try to take advantage of the situation. "Ok, but you won't try to mess with her head, will you? You won't try to convince her that she's still aboard the Prometheus and that you're a figment of her imagination? "

Jack did his best to look offended. "Me, mess with anyone's head? Not in my nature, Daniel. I would think you knew me better than that."

"Of course I know you, that's why I'm trying to thwart your evil plans."

"Oh my god, what movies has Teal'c been showing you now?"

A small smile broke out on Teal'c's face as he began to answer O'Neill, but Daniel interrupted before he could speak.

"Never mind that, promise that you won't try to confuse Sam until she's feeling better."

"As if I could confuse her when she's in her right mind. But ok, I promise. Now, on to more important things. Who's going to be in charge of the welcome home party for Carter? You know my only requirement is that there's gotta be cake."

Some time later, Sam woke up and slowly opened her eyes. She winced as the light impacted her vision. Thinking, "Damn, my head hurts. Wonder where I am? It looks like an infirmary, but which one?"

She heard a quiet "Hey." from beside the bed. Recognizing his voice, but still not sure where she was or if he was real or imaginary, she responded "Jack…"

Jack was taken aback by the first-name response. He knew she might still think that she was hallucinating, but now he began to wonder what form those hallucinations had taken. "Excuse me?"

Sam looked over, still a little woozy, and saw the Colonel dressed in his BDU's, not in civvies as he had been on the ship. Whoops, this time it must be real. "Sorry Sir."

"Yes, well, a massive concussion will tend to disorient one."

"How long was I out there?"

"It's all relative Carter, that whole time space continuum thing."

She was just too tired to deal with his humor now. "Sir."

Reading the weariness on her face, he replied. "Four days."

She was clearly surprised by this. "Could have sworn it was weeks."

The brevity of her answers told him how tired she really was. He decided to try to lighten things up again. "Teal'c and Daniel say Hi. They're planning a little bit of a shindig for when you're up and around. There's talk of cake."

That earned him a wan smile. "A cake?"

He grinned in response and proudly replied "My idea."

Another smile, stronger this time. "Can't wait."

All right! He was on a roll now, but Janet would have his ass if he tired her out any more. He better wrap it up and let her get back to sleep. "Need anything? Magazine? Yo yo?"

"I'm fine."

Looking down at her, and realizing how close they'd come to losing her, he said, "Yes you are."

As he turned to leave, she said "Thank you Sir."

"For what?"

What was she thanking him for? She had a vague feeling that his imaginary alter ego told her something important on the ship, and she wanted to let him know that she appreciated the advice. But right now, she had no idea of what that advice had been. Maybe when she was able to concentrate, and had some time to process the events of the last few days, she could thank him for the proper reason. For now, she answered, "Nothing."

"Think nothing of it. I've got plenty of that."

Jack left, and Sam closed her eyes, exhausted by the short exchange. But after a moment, she thought she heard the sound of a small girl singing. She opened her eyes again and smiled. That particular hallucination was one that she could remember clearly and wanted to hold on to for a while longer. In spite of the pain and the confusion still reigning in her mind, she somehow felt that this whole experience had helped her resolve some things. She wasn't sure what they all were, or how it had happened, but she felt more at peace with her feelings than in a long time. She closed her eyes and slept.


End file.
